Transfer of a video stream over digital networks includes several aspects, such as video compression, error correction, and data loss concealment for various types of communications networks and systems. Such applications often require robust systems and methods that facilitate data transport with minimal data loss or perceived data loss. Systems for minimizing data loss or perceived data loss are particularly important in applications such as video-broadcast applications using packet-switched networks, such as the Internet, where large burst errors are common. Unfortunately, conventional systems and methods for facilitating robust data transfer with minimal data loss or perceived data loss often cannot accommodate relatively large data losses without requiring excessive network bandwidth and memory. In parallel, advances and trends in video compression methods are providing better performance (lower bit-rates) but not without introducing side effects. While all these advances provide certain benefits, they also present challenges since higher importance information provided in the video stream is often more prone to error. The inherent information dependencies produced by these trends in video coding do not extend the level of granularity needed for quick recovery from impairments or the ability to associate errors with a small portion of visual information. Furthermore, these trends and advancements are often causing longer random access or channel change times, even in the absence of impairments in the transfer of video streams.